GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
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GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
GT World Challenge Europe – Second Place for AF Corse in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch
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Brands Hatch, 29 August, 2021

The Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent, hosted the only British round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe over the weekend of 28-29 August, with a strong entry of 28 cars across the three classes. There were two races each of 60mins duration on the Sunday morning and afternoon, preceded by practice and qualifying sessions on the Saturday. There were also seven support races for an eclectic array of classic and modern saloon and GT cars, making for a packed weekend programme.

The qualifying sessions, one for each driver, to determine the grid positions for the two races, saw the #88 AKKA ASP entered Mercedes-AMG GT3 take the overall and Pro class pole position for both races courtesy of Timur Boguslavskiy and Raffaele Marciello. Ben Barnicoat in the #38 JOTA entered McLaren 720 S GT3 actually posted the quickest time, but was demoted two places, having been adjudged to have impeded other drivers.


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Ricardo Feller in the #14 Emil Frey Racing entered Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo claimed the Silver Cup pole for Race 1, beating class rival Pierre Alexandre Jean in the #108 CMR entered Bentley Continental GT3 by 0.093s. Miguel Ramos at the wheel of the #77 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo entered by Barwell Motorsport took the Pro-Am class pole position. The Silver Cup class pole position for Race 2 went to the #7 Toksport WRT entered Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Oscar Tunjo, whilst Henrique Chaves took the Pro-Am pole position in the #77 Barwell Motorsport entered Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo.

Race 1 saw Ben Barnicoat in the #38 McLaren make the best start from third place on the grid to pass both Weerts #32 Audi and the pole sitting #88 Mercedes-AMG of Boguslavskiy on the run through Paddock Hill Bend From there he lapped a second a lap faster than the rest of the field and built up a 16secs advantage over the #88 Mercedes-AMG by the time the pit window opened at the 25-minute mark. Barnicoat pitted at the 30mins mark and handed over to Oliver Wilkinson, whilst Boguslavskiy handed over to Raffaele Marciello. He then proceeded to close in on the race leading McLaren at the same rate that Barnicoat had pulled away in the opening stint, and with ten minutes left to run the Mercedes-AMG was on the tail of the McLaren, but Wilkinson put up a strong defence. However, it all went wrong when they came upon lapped traffic, in the form of the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari of Giorgio Roda with just five minutes remaining. The Mercedes-AMG tried to go between the Ferrari and the McLaren, making contact with both. This sent the McLaren into and over the barriers ending up in wooded non spectator area, whilst the Ferrari spun round and fortunately was not hit by cars arriving on the scene. Marciello continued unscathed in the lead ahead of the #32 Audi of Vanthoor. The race was then neutralised due to the incident, and subsequently Marciello was adjudged to have been predominantly responsible and handed a 45secs time penalty. This promoted the #32 Team WRT Audi to first place, ahead of the #6 Mercedes-AMG and the Silver Cup-winning #31 Team WRT Audi.

Marciello started from pole for the delayed second race, due to a lengthy barrier repair period, and with the McLaren too badly damaged to continue it was the #6 Mercedes-AMG of Mario Engel that took up the chase. Whilst everything was clean at the front of the field there were incidents occurring further back, one of which resulted in a coming together between the #114 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini and the #8 RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG leaving the latter beached in a gravel trap, bringing out the safety car while it was recovered. Once the race went green again Marciello was able to ease away from Engel and Vanthoor at the rate of 0.5sec a lap, dropping by half a second each lap. When the pit window opened the #6 Mercedes-AMG of Engel was the first to stop, with Stolz taking the wheel, Vanthoor pulled in one lap later, to hand over to Weerts, whilst Marciello waited until the last moment to stop and hand over to Boguslavskiy. Stolz was soon on the tail of Boguslavskiy but couldn’t find a way past. It seemed that the pressure paid off, as on the final lap Boguslavskiy ran off the track, allowing both Stolz and Weerts to pass. However, it transpired that it was a mechanical problem, as the #88 Mercedes-AMG limpedhome in sixth position, with its right front tyre parting company as it approached the finish line. Stolz therefore took the race win from Weerts, with Petru Umbrarescu taking the final podium spot in the #89 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG he shared with Jules Gounon.


Overall & Class Podiums

Race 1
Overall
1st – #32, Audi R8 LMS, Team WRT, C. Weerts/D. Vanthoor
2nd – #6, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Mercedes AMG Team Toksport WRT, L. Stolz/M. Engel
3rd – #31, Audi R8 LMS, Team WRT, F. Bird/R. Tomita

Pro Cup
1st – #32, Audi R8 LMS, Team WRT, C. Weerts/D. Vanthoor
2nd – #6, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Mercedes AMG Team Toksport WRT, L. Stolz/M. Engel
3rd – #26, Audi R8 LMS, Sainteloc Racing, A. Panis/F. Vervisch

Silver Cup
1st – #31, Audi R8 LMS, Team WRT, F. Bird/R. Tomita
2nd – #90, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Madpanda Motorsport, E. Perez Companc/R. Breukers
3rd – #7, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Toksport WRT, J. Puhakka/O. Tunjo

Pro-Am Cup
1st – #77, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, Barwell Motorsport, M. Ramos/H. Chaves
2nd – #52, Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo, AF Corse, L. Machiels/A. Bertolini
3rd – #188, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, Garage 59, A. West/J. Adam

Race 2
Overall & Pro Cup
1st – #6, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Mercedes AMG Team Toksport WRT, L. Stolz/M. Engel
2nd – #32, Audi R8 LMS, Team WRT, C. Weerts/D. Vanthoor
3rd – #89, Mercedes-AMG GT3, AKKA ASP, P.R. Umbrarescu/J. Gounon

Silver Cup
1st – #7, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Toksport WRT, J. Puhakka/O. Tunjo
2nd – #31, Audi R8 LMS, Team WRT, F. Bird/R. Tomita
3rd – #87, Mercedes-AMG GT3, AKKA ASP, K. Tereschenko/J. Pla

Pro-Am Cup
1st – #77, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, Barwell Motorsport, M. Ramos/H. Chaves
2nd – #188, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, Garage 59, A. West/J. Adam
3rd – #20, Mercedes-AMG GT3, SPS Automotive Performance, V. Pierburg/D. Baumann

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